Programmes 2026/2027
Follow the links under the titles to take you to the programmes on Ensemble Masques website.
PROGRAMME I - J-P RAMEAU : PYGMALION
What brings art to life ? This is the question that runs through Jean-Philippe Rameau's Pygmalion, an opera-ballet in which sculpture becomes flesh and comes to life under the effect of the gaze and of love. This myth, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses, is brought to life by the brilliant music of Rameau, who presented the work to a Parisian audience in 1748. Following in the footsteps of John Blow's Venus & Adonis and Handel's Acis & Galatea, this new opera by Ensemble Masques brings a contemporary dimension to the work by entrusting a circus artist with the moments of the work that are intended to be danced. In this new interpretation, the circus artist, who specialises in the Cyr wheel, embodies the statue that comes to life before Pygmalion's eyes, giving his metamorphosis a physical and poetic dimension, extending the momentum of the music and embodying the breath that animates creation.
Pygmalion is considered a perfect example of French opera-ballet, a genre that combines song, dance and orchestral music. First performed at the Royal Academy of Music in Paris in 1748, it illustrates Rameau's excellence in his innovative use of harmony and his ability to express complex emotions through music. The story is based on the myth of Pygmalion from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
CAST - 7 singers & 16 instrumentistes
SOLOISTS (could be changed)
Circassien roue cyr (optional) : Jef Everaert
Pygmalion : Cyril Auvity
La Statue : Hannah Ely
L’Amour : Judith van Wanroij
Céphise : Marie-Frédérique Girod
TECHNICAL INFO - 1 harpsichord a = 400
PROGRAMME II - G.F. HANDEL : ACIS & GALATEA
TEASER – Click here to watch !
Cannons Version, 1718
”Written in 1718 for the Duke of Chandos’ private theatre, Acis & Galatea tells the story of two lovers — the shepherd Acis and the water nymph Galatea — who must reckon with the anger of the jealous cyclops Polyphemus. A magician of the stage, Handel needs only modest means for his exquisite rendering of the pastoral world. Sung in English, this short opera’s melodic flow and inspired characterizations is one of Handel’s most successful scenic works. And, not surprisingly, it remained one of his most popular works throughout the 18th century.
CAST - 6 singers & 7 instrumentalists
TECHNICAL INFO - 1 harpsichord a = 415
PROGRAMME III - CONCERTI !
TEASER – Click here to watch!
J.S. Bach: Violin Concertos in A minor and E major
G.P. Telemann: Viola Concerto in G major
T. Albinoni: Sinfonia a cinque
Baroque violinist Sophie Gent, whose reputation is well established and who has been playing with the Ensemble Masques for over twenty years, performs Bach’s two violin concertos. Violist Kathleen Kajioka, also a long-standing member of the Ensemble, offers a breathtaking performance of Telemann’s viola concerto. The programme is rounded off by sublime Sinfonias filled with light and joy by Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni. This programme was recorded for the Alpha Classics label (released in July 2025).
CAST
Sophie Gent, violin.
Kathleen Kajioka, viola
Total members
- 7 Musicians
PROGRAMME IV – RAMEAU’S DANCE
Suite of instrumental music by J.P. Rameau, based on the “Indes Galantes”, “Hippolyte et Aricie” and “Dardanus”.
Rameau’s music continues to surprise us today with its incredible modernity. An innovator and visionary for his time, Rameau knew how to use bold harmonies and complex structures, which he related to dance in the most beautiful way. His ingenious use of contrasts and textures gives it a captivating timeless relevance.
CAST
2 recorders & 2 oboes & 1 bassoon
2 violins & 2 violas & 1 cello & 1 double bass
1 harpsichord
PROGRAMME V - BACH : FROM DARKNESS to LIGHT
Cantatas BWV 150, BWV 12 and BWV 78
These three magnificent cantatas trace the stages of a single impulse, which Bach expresses, as always, with inner precision and a deeply human language that touches on what humans experience at different moments of their existence. Cantata BWV 150 begins in a state of unease, with a voice that seeks its way, asks questions, and moves forward tentatively. Then, with Cantata BWV 12, the pain becomes clearer, more direct. But already, a form of response is emerging. Finally, Cantata BWV 78 opens up a more peaceful space. It is no longer lamentation that guides us, but a silent confidence in faith and redemption.
CAST
Total members 4 soloists & 12 instrumentalists
PROGRAMME VI - CHRISTOPHER SIMPSON: MONTHS OF THE YEAR AND SEASONS
English composer and gambist, best known for his treatises on the viol and his chamber music. The Seasons and the Months is an emblematic work of his style, illustrating his mastery of counterpoint and ornamentation.
Published in 1665, this set of pieces for viol and continuo follows the model of Baroque instrumental suites, organized in contrasting movements evoking the seasons and months of the year. Each piece explores a variety of affects, musically translating the moods and characteristics of each period of the year. Far from being a mere climatic description, The Seasons and the Months is a poetic meditation on the passage of time, where the harmonic richness and melodic fluidity reveal all the refinement of Simpson’s writing.
CAST
Simon Pierre, violin Mélisande Corriveau & Miguel Bonal, gamba
André Henrich, archiluth
Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
PROGRAMME VII - THE ANGEL & THE DEVIL
The famous rivalry between Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray, presented respectively as ‘the Angel’ and ‘the Devil’, comes from an account by Hubert Le Blanc in his work entitled ‘Defence of the bass viol against the attempts of the violin and the pretensions of the cello’, published in 1740: ‘The viola was favoured by King Louis XIV, Marais for his pieces, and Forqueray for his Preludes. One was said to play like an Angel, and the other like a Devil.’ Together, the music of these two great performers symbolises two contrasting but complementary sides of French Baroque music.
CAST
Mélisande Corriveau & Miguel Bonal Asensio, gamba
Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
PROGRAMME VIII - PARDESSUS IN PARADISE
Works by Louis de Caix d’Hervelois, Jacques Duphly, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Michel Corrette, Charles Dollé
The pardessus de viole, the smallest member of the large family of violas da gamba, occupies a unique place in French musical history. Its repertoire spans half a century, but the instrument was played for nearly a hundred years, mainly in France. Despite its relatively short existence, it attracted the interest of the greatest violists of its time, inspired renowned composers who dedicated refined works to it, and caught the attention of the best luthiers, who have left us instruments of great beauty.
CAST
Mélisande Corriveau, viola pardessus
Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
PROGRAMME IX - THE GOLDEN HOUR
Works by François Francoeur, Jean-Marie Leclair, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, and Jean-Philippe Rameau The trio sonatas performed in this programme are distinguished by the freedom they offer the two string instruments to dialogue with each other, in a structure that remains flexible, with the bass viola often taking on the role of soloist. The selected works also mark a turning point in French musical history, at a time when Italian and French styles were meeting and influencing each other. Lucile Boulanger, recently awarded the Victoires de la musique classique 2025 prize for Instrumental Soloist of the Year, shares this musical exploration here with Simon Pierre on violin and Olivier Fortin on harpsichord.
CAST
Lucile Boulanger, bass viol
Simon Pierre, violin
Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
PROGRAMME X - CON DISCREZIONE
Works by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Johann Jakob Froberger and Dietrich Buxtehude In his treatise Der vollkommene Capellmeister (1739), Johann Mattheson wrote: ‘A musician must know emotions in order to be able to evoke them.’ This thought expresses the very essence of Baroque music interpretation, where music is not only an art of technical virtuosity, but above all an art of communicating emotions. The musician is above all a sensitive speaker, capable of modulating nuances with delicacy, of playing con discrezione – with discretion, measure and accuracy – in order to touch the listener in the depths of their being.
CAST
Lucile Boulanger, bass viol
Simon Pierre, violin
Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
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